Prepare for disasters, big and small

‘Train for smaller-scale disruptions and drill for the big stuff,’ panelists tell conference attendees.

Remember staff needs when creating disaster recovery and business continuity plans, say Jeanne Pickens, Rogue CU; Katelyn McManamon, Penn East FCU; Amy McGraw, Tropical Financial CU; and moderator Casey Boggs.

Effective disaster recovery and business continuity plans will help credit unions address both large and small disruptions to minimize the impact to the credit union, staff, and members.

That was one lesson from a panel discussion on disaster preparation and communication at the 25th annual CUNA Marketing & Business Development Council Conference Monday in San Francisco.

Panelists addressed how to plan for disasters big and small, deal with events in the moment, and recoup after the disaster has passed.

“Crisis management is 99% preparation and 1% execution,” says Casey Boggs, moderator and president of Merit, a crisis management company. “You don’t want to have to call a PR guy at the 11th hour when your house is already on fire.”

 

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